The real Venice
Instead of visiting specific tourist attractions in the city, we urge you to wander around and let Venice reveal itself to you. That’s an appealing way to see the city, especially with no cars around. Tourists often lose themselves in Venice’s maze of lanes and canals, but it’s a pleasurable feeling. The Piazza San Marco is a good place for such an exploration.
The following are some of the most popular tourist attractions in Venice.
Basilica di San Marco
Located at Piazza San Marco, Saint Mark's Basilica is one of the most popular attractions of Venice. Dating back to 828 AD, this beautiful place of worship consists of five huge domes modeled after Constantinople's Church of the Twelve Apostles. It became the cathedral of Venice and the city’s principal church in 1807. Within the cathedral is a rich treasure plundered from the East 500 years ago. The best time to visit the Basilica is early on weekdays, unless you want to endure hour-long lines during peak hours.
Palazzo Ducale
Built in the 9th century, the Doge's Palace was the command center of the duke (doge) of the Venetian Republic. It was built with pink Veronese marble and white stone in the early Venetian Gothic style. The palace housed all branches of the government for nearly a thousand years as well as the Appartamento del Doge or Duke's Apartments, a series of grandiose state rooms. The biggest room, the Sala del Maggiore Consiglio, contains Tintoretto's Paradiso, one of the world's largest oil paintings. Palazzo Ducale is located at Piazzetta San Marco, San Marco 2
Jewish Ghetto of Venice
This was the world’s first “ghetto,” a word coined from the Venetian word for “iron foundry.” Known as the Ghetto Nuovo or New Foundry, the Jewish ghetto was built in 1516 and surrounded by water to separate the Jews from the rest of Venice. Jews could still enter the main city, but only if they wore a yellow cap. The doors of the ghetto were closed at midnight and opened at dawn. Eventually, the word “ghetto” was used to refer to neighborhoods occupied by a single racial or ethnic group. Today, Jews still live in the ghetto where they built five impressive synagogues. The ghetto is located at Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, Cannaregio 2902/b.
Museo Ebraico
The Jewish Museum is located within the Jewish ghetto and gives deep insight into the lives of people there. It features silverware, religious accessories and a rich archive of historical data that touches on the difficult life of Jews. To appreciate this unique world, tourists should book a guided tour, available daily.
Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia
Located at Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050, the “Academy” is the most important museum in Venice and one of the best in Italy. It houses the High Renaissance, baroque and rococo works of the old Venetian masters from the 14th to 18th centuries, including masterpieces from Carpaccio, Bellini, Mantegna, Paolo Veronese and Cima da Conegliano. It also showcases one of the final works of Titian, his Pieta.
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
This museum displays the impressive personal art collection of Peggy Guggenheim, an eccentric millionaire-art collector and wife of artist Max Ernst. Among the works displayed here are masterpieces by Picasso, Miro, Tanguy, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Pollock, Mondrian, and Dali. The Peggy Guggenheim collection also features sculptures by Henry Moore and Jean Arp. The museum is located at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701.
Ca' Pesaro
Located at Fondamenta di Ca' Pesaro, Santa Croce 2076, this palace has housed the Galleria d'Arte Moderna since 1902. The palace’s baroque style was designed by Longhena and its touch of the Renaissance was added by Antonio Gaspari, who completed the palace in 1710 after Longhena’s death. Its main ground-floor provides a magnificent view of Venice and the Grand Canal.
Hotel Ariston
